Using Google's Phone to Make Virtual Reality Goggles

October 27, 2009

Using Google's Phone to Make Virtual Reality Goggles

Tired of waiting for mass market VR goggles? Here’s an easy way to make your own.

Both
virtual reality and augmented reality have been gaining attention with the growing
popularity of powerful smart phones. And, as the technology inside these devices becomes better
and smaller, it seems only a matter of time before someone invents cool-enough
looking VR/AR glasses or goggles.

In
the meantime however, the folks over at Recombu.com have demonstrated how to
make your own goggles using an HTC Magic smart phone, Google Street View, and pair
of plastic safety goggles.

By
cutting out a tight-fitting cardboard box, attaching it snugly to the goggles on
one end and to the smart phone at the other, the user can be immersed in a
scene of, say Paris. What makes the experience immersive is that the smart
phone’s compass and accelerometer senses when the user moves her head, allowing
the virtual street view to move along with her.